ICT & Business Comms

KS3 Curriculum

Throughout Year 7 and 8 pupils will learn in line with the three strands of Computing: Computer Science; Information Technology and Binary and Algorithms theory.

The strands are explained in more detail below.

Computer Science is the study of the foundational principles and practices of computation and computational thinking, and their application in the design and development of computer systems.

Information Technology deals with the creative and productive use and application of computer systems, especially in organisations, including considerations of e-safety, privacy, ethics, and intellectual property.

All pupils will have the opportunity to do some programming using Scratch and Python. The new curriculum ensures that learners will know how computers and computer systems work, how they are designed and programmed as well as them making the best use of IT.

KS4 Curriculum

We now offer a GCSE equivalent course Cambridge Nationals in ICT

Cambridge Nationals Information and Communication Technology helps to develop knowledge of current and emerging technologies, a range of ICT tools and techniques and society’s use of ICT. This specification requires you to develop the ability to work collaboratively.

The Full Course is made up of 4 units.

1 Unit is a paper based externally assessed exam.

3 other units selected from a range of topics

All the units are based around case studies and give students the opportunity to apply skills to real life scenarios.

Levels 1 and 2

All students will start on the same programme, with their final uniform mark determining which award they achieve: Level 1 or Level 2.

The assessment process recognises students’ strengths. Good performance in some units will compensate for weaker performance in others.

Students learn:

How people and organisations solve problems using ICT tools and techniques

By exploring a variety of technologies that interest them, from communication tools, like Facebook and the Internet to tools predicting natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis

How to investigate the impact which ICT has on society and develop transferable skills such as problem solving and thinking logically and critically.

GCSE in Computer Science First Award 2018

Pupils who opt to study the GCSE in Computer Science will complete the OCR qualification. The course is made up of two exams and a piece programming project

Assessment

Two written exam papers worth 80%

A Programming project worth 20%

Computer Science GCSE (9–1) specification in Computer Science encourages learners to be inspired, and challenged through completing a coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study. The specification will help learners to gain an insight into related sectors. It will prepare learners to make informed decisions about further learning opportunities and career choices.

A simple and intuitive assessment model, consisting of two papers, one focusing on the theory of Computer Science and one with a focus on programming and algorithms. Both papers have identical weighting and mark allocations.

Business Communication Systems

Through studying our GCSE in Business and Communication Systems, students:

gain business knowledge, understanding and skills;

gain practical ICT skills;

gain an understanding of how ICT skills are used to enhance business activities, particularly through e-commerce.

This course is very relevant to today’s business world. It helps students understand the changing role of ICT in business and economic activities. It also helps students understand the ways in which market environments are changing because of ICT, for example the rise of e-business.

This course helps students develop practical ICT and business skills that are useful in a diverse range of employment roles. It also prepares students for studying business and ICT at a more advanced level.

The course has three strands:

A practical exam taken on the computers.

A theory exam which is a written paper.

A Controlled Assessment based on a business Scenario.

GCSE Business Studies ( first award 2019)

A course in business studies is a option available to students the examination board used is AQA and will be graded 1-9.

There are two exams, the details of which are below:

Students need to be aware of the impact business in the real world has on the four functional areas of business:

Business operations

Human resources

Marketing

Finance

GCSE Film Studies

Starting with familiar mainstream films, the course allows you to study films and the ways in which they are experienced in today’s global society, and investigates the place film has in communicating ideas, attitudes and cultural beliefs, both now and in the past. This is approached through three inter-related study areas, which act as a framework for studying and creating film:

The ‘language’ of film.

The organisations which produce, distribute and exhibit films.

The audiences for film.

Controlled Assessment: Candidates will be required to submit one film exploration and one production for their controlled assessment. The work for the controlled assessment is designed to draw on candidates’ personal experiences of consuming and responding to film and to allow them to demonstrate understanding through creative production work.

The external assessment, worth 50% of the total mark, is in the form of two papers. The first is based on a set film made outside Hollywood and the second on the popular Superhero genre, both topics introduced at the beginning of the year.